K-town's Totems

Chief Kayan Pole In Whale Park

 Ketchikan is home to a large collection of totem poles both original and replicas. Totems played a very large part in the local Native culture of Southeast Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Ketchikan is fortunate to have three tribes of natives in and around the Ketchikan area. They are, the Tlingit, the Haida and the Tsimshian and each have their own unique styles and technics for their art.

 

There are individual totem poles scattered all around downtown Ketchikan, but there are 3 parks that have great collections of replica totems and the Totem Heritage Center has a display of original totem poles and pieces of poles in their museum. The Heritage Center is in the city and all the totem parks are outside the city.  

There are 2 totem parks located about 10 miles north of K-town. The most popular is an Alaska State Park, Totem Bight State Historical Park. This park was created back in the 1930's and was constructed by the CCC(Civilian Conservation Corps)  boys. They were mostly local Native carvers and craftsmen. The park is a replica of a 18th century Tlingit clan village and consists of a clan house and about a dozen totem poles.
Right next door to Totem Bight is a newer park which is also quite impressive. It's the Potlatch Park and it has a carving shed, where you might catch a master carver working his magic, and Russian Museum. Both of these parks would make a great excursion when you are visiting Ketchikan.

Totem Bight Clan House

The 3rd totem park is located 2 1/2 miles south of K-town and is in the City of Saxman. This park is run by the city and there is a fee to view the park. The park is well cared for and the totems are kept up nicely. There are around 15 poles within the park and they have a small collection of pictographs, which are cool. 

Winter on Totem Row Saxman

So if you have an interest in totem poles and the many tales and stories they tell, be sure to visit one or all 4 of the totem exhibits on your visit to Ketchikan.

Till Next Time,

K-townKing 

   

Grilling Fish Outdoors

      In SE. Alaska when it comes to grilling seafood, fish is always be at the top of the list. With some nice fishes and a grill alone, you would be able to produce so many delectable dishes with only that. In grilling fish, you would first have to classify fish into firm and tender, whole and fillet and use different grilling approaches when in comes to the fish depending on how you would classify them. Be aware that aside from direct grilling, you could also roast, sear and do a lot more with fishes on the grill.

     When grilling fillets, make sure that it is at least 1 inch thick and reasonably large for consumption. When putting them on top of the grill, do not forget to turn them every 2 minutes or less. You will know if you are doing this right if you have a nice set of grill marks on the sides of the fish, this of which is the sign of a grilling master.Make sure that the fire is not too strong as not to burn the fish but just right as to make the fish juicy and tender right after being grilled. Another way to cook fish is to have them smoked with the use of seasoned wood chips. The smoke made by these chips would infuse the fish with a different but really pleasant flavor.

    When it comes to marinating fish, you can come up with virtually anything you can imagine as long as it would taste good on the fish, just take note that liquid marinades are easier to absorb and would seep deeper into the fish as compared to sauces. When marinating fish, put the fish and the marinade together in a container and allow 30 minutes for the fish to soak up. Refrigerating while marinating is also highly advised, only bring out the fish when it is ready to be cooked.

     If the marinade used on the fish should be used as a sauce, have it boil by itself for at least five minutes. Since the fish was raw when it was soaked in it, it could have traces of bacteria which we would not want on the sauce. Boiling it eliminates bacteria in it.

 

     There are just three things to keep in mind when it comes to grilling hygiene; that of which is it should be hot, it should be oiled and it should be cleaned. You can start of by having the grill cleaned every time before you start grilling. Make sure that you scrub all residues off the surface since these can fall inside the grill and cause flare ups or induce a different flavor into the items being grilled. You would not want to grill fish and have it taste like prime rib.

     After that, you should make sure that the grill is pre heated even before throwing in the items to be grilled. This is the most common mistake people make especially for those who own gas grills as they would tend to throw items in the grill immediately after starting the fire. The last one is you have to make sure that the surface is oiled well enough to keep residue from sticking to the grill’s surface later on. You can do this by spraying small amounts of vegetable oil on the surface before grilling.

 

     Grilled fish is best served with other grilled seafood such as scallops, shrimps, or crabs. It would also do well with grilled peppers, asparagus and onions. Grilled fish looks very appetizing when it has grill marks on the side, this of which is commonly noted as the mark of an expert when it comes to grilling.

     This does not only look appetizing but is also a good way of judging that the fish is cooked right. Serving it with a salad and a soup would have everyone eating it have a good memory with grilled fish.

 

     Well I've gone and done it, I've made myself hungry, so I believe I'll fire up the barby and practice what I wrote about. Don't you wish you could be here couple hours from now? 

 

Enjoy Your Day,

K-townking

 

 

 

 

Up In the Mountains

I had some tourist in my cab the other day that wanted to go where tourist don't usually go. So I gave them a tour of the town as we head to the mountains. Now, at this time of year the surrounding mountains are pretty much free of snow, but not this year. We had more snow then I've seen in my 30 years in K-town, so there is still quite a bit of the white stuff hanging around, and they wanted to go play in the stuff. We went up Brown Mountain about 20 miles from K-town. It was a beautiful day, the sun was bright and the sky was cloudless. On the way there we drove through part of the Tongass National Forest and they were amazed at the size of the trees. I have a couple of trees that a Ranger friend told me that are well over 400 years old and I make it a point to show the off when I'm out that way. When we arrived at the trail leading to the snow, they took off for their fun in the snow. While they were off, I took a few photos of the surrounding area. See Ya Later; K-townking

Gorgeous Sunsets

If I needed a reason for living in Southeast Alaska, the photo here, should give you one of them. Sunsets can be just gorgeous. With so many different shades of this color and that color, that makes it difficult to capture the true beauty of the scene. With the sky, so alive with it's color show, you have a tendency to forget about the water, the way it captures the colors itself. It can make for some real awesome shots. So as you tour through the inter-coastal waters of the Panhandle, be sure to have a camera at the ready and add some color to your memories of your trip to Southeast Alaska. Enjoy, K-townking

.2 lbs. Makes McQueen Winner

I told you the Derby has been won on more then 1 occasion, on the last day. Why should this year be any different? On Sunday, June 7, 2009, before 8 AM, the Leader in the Derby changed for the last time, when Dan McQueen weighted in his 44.2 lb. King salmon and beat out Mark Toldfelt, by .2 lb. Not only did Dan knock Mark out of 1st place for the largest fish, but he also knocked him out of the lead for the "Largest fish caught in a 16' or smaller boat". So another Ketchikan King Salmon Derby comes to an end. You can see all the results at Ketchikan King Salmon Derby website.
Congratulations to all those who participated and didn't win. I hope you all enjoyed your time on the water, better luck next year.

FISH ON !!!!!!!

This is the time of year that sold me on living in this great state of Alaska. I had never fished on the ocean before and to be quite honest, it was a little scary, but once I got out there, that was another ball game all together. The smell of the salt air, your surrounded by the natural beauty that is Alaska, the wildlife you can see, and the thrill of catching a big King Salmon, there's nothing more fun. Although, it's not as easy as one might think. You have to put in your time, in order to catch the real "BIG" fish that are out there. That's why folks spend soooo.... much time out there. In order to catch the "BIG" one, it is said you must put in an average of 20 hours trolling for them, before you may be lucky enough to land one. May is also the month that the Ketchikan King Salmon Derby starts. The 62nd Derby starts on the Saturday before Memorial Day and ends in 2 weeks on Sunday. Now, your only allowed to fish for derby fish on the weekends, no fish are counted during the days in between. The grand prize is well over 10,ooo dollars in cash and prizes. The Derby is sponsored by the Ketchikan CHARR Educational Fund,Inc and they use the proceeds from the Derby to fund their scholarship program.
Now, what I really like fishing for are Halibut. This is one of the many bottom dweller that we enjoy. Others are several types of cods, that most don't like catching but are, actually, quite good eating. I can say for a fact that, Smoked Black Cod is my favorite. Fishing for halibut is often quick and easy, that's why I enjoy it most. If you have a favorite spot,hole, or what ever, you can, 9 out of 10 times, get there, drop your hook to the bottom and have a fish before you set the pole. Now, that's fishing. It's not like that very time,but if you have a spot, you can find fish. I have gone out and limited out in less then 2 hours. The hardest part of fishing, is the work one must do when you get your catch home.
Living in SE. Alaska, we are fortunate to have all 5 species of Pacific Salmon to fish for during the the long days of summer. We can start fishing in April and fish all the way into October for these fun catching, great eating creatures. With it light till almost 11 PM, lots of folks will make a evening of it and go out for a few hours after work. There are all kinds of ways to put your catch up for the winter and the people of SE.Alaska spend many hours smoking, drying, caning, jarring and vacuum packing their fish. Oh, I forgot the best part, SHARING their product with their family and friends.
So, get off the couch, put the boat in the water, call me and lets GO FISHIN'
K-townking

Getting to K-town

Now, I should have done this sooner, but no one asked me. So, better late then never. If your planning to visit Ketchikan, there are just three ways to get here. The first and most popular is on a cruise. This how the majority of the yearly visitors arrive in K-town. The cruise ships bring about 800,000 people to visit us. There are several different cruise ship companies that offer a variety of tour packages, Holland America and Princess Cruises are among the leaders in cruises to Alaska. You can either contact your local travel agent or the cruise companies for the details. They have all types of packages for all types of budgets. In the past few years the cruise ships have made it very affordable, so that whole families are now taking a cruise through SE. Alaska and more.
The second way to arrive in K-town is by ferry. The ferries are run by the State of Alaska. The Alaska Marine Highway has around 9 state ferries, they are all named after different glaciers within the state. This is a great way to travel if your into taking your time and enjoying yourself. With ferry travel your able to get off along the way and grab the next ferry going your direction. Lots of folks put their RV's or personal vehicle on and then travel at their leisure. You can catch the ferries in a couple of different places, either Bellingham,Washington or Prince Rupert,B.C. Canada. You can check out the ferry schedule at: www.FerryAlaska.com, or you can call 1-800-642-0066 for all the info you need.
The third and finale way to arrive in K-town is by air. Now the only airline that services Ketchikan is, you guessed it, Alaska Airlines. In the summer we have about 9 daily flights in and out of K-town. So, just check with either your travel agent or Alaska Airlines for all the flight information.
O.K., now you know how to get here, so why are you not on your way? You know that you've wanted to visit for some time, why not make it this year. It's not to late but, if you don't act now it just might be. When you do come, look me up and we'll have a cold one together.
Till later: K-townking

Breathe Taking

When you are in K-town there are an endless number of things to see and do, but for me, one of the most exciting and breathe taking, is to take a flight into the Misty Fjords National Monument. I have done this several times in the pass 30 yrs of living in Southeast Alaska. Each and every time I've been back there, there has been something special about the flight into the Misty's. I have been fortunate to have always seen some type of wildlife on the flights, from Grizzles to Mountain Goats to whales to Black bear. This is a big reason that most folks take the flight and even though the pilots can't guarantee you'll see any wildlife, their very good at finding them.
There are several very good Flightseeing outfits in the Ketchikan. The flightseeing tours can be from 1 1/2 to 2 hours. So, check them out and chose the one that offers the tour your interested in. Believe me on this one, you will not be disappointed.
Now, if your the real adventurous type you can rent or bring your own kayak and spend as much time as you have to go into the Misty's and paddle around and really get the full enjoyment of the back country. In K-town there are several outfitters that will help you with all that it takes to enjoy a safe and fun adventure in the Misty Fjord National Monument.
It's another beautiful day in K-town, the sun's out, it's about 65* and I hear my bike callin' me "Come ride me,ride me". See Ya in the Wind; K-townking

Things Are Looking Up

Boy O' Boy, things are strange in K-town. With the season ready to start in full swing this week, I'm baffled. We have about 50 jewelery stores in the downtown area and as of today I haven't seen hardly any activity in them for all most a week. They must be hiding behind the shades in the windows putting out their wares. I never understood why one would come all the way to Alaska to purchase jewelery in the first place. But people do. Must be so they can tell everyone back home they got it in Alaska, that would be my guess.
Since last Wednesday there have been just a ton of geese flying over head every day and night also. I had taken my dog for a late night walk and there where several flocks fly by while we were out. It such a fun thing to watch. You can hear them coming for a long way far, you hear the Honk,Honk them make and try to spot them. It amazes me how they fly in their"V" formation, change directions, get spooked by a helicopter and still remain in their formation. There not always perfect, they may be long on one side and short on the other, but it's still a "V". I made several attempts to get a photo of them and my camera just wouldn't zoom in well enough.
I also noticed that the bear hunters have arrived in 2's and 3's over the last week. I have yet to see any sign around my house, or heard of anyone seeing a bear around town. I know that their out of the den by now and looking for the first food of the year. So, keep your eyes peeled and maybe you'll see one early.
When your in K-town there are many, many, many things for you and your family to do and see. One of the really fun things is KAYAKING. There are a couple of outfits that can help you with that. I recommend Southeast Sea Kayaks. Greg and Gillian and their twins will take you out and show you the sites ,wildlife, ranging from whales to bears to some of the many birds that live on and near the water, to sea lions and seals. It's always a great time and they even feed you. Now, how can you beat that. The tours on average are 2-4 hours, although they can outfit you for week or more. But for the cruise ship traveler the 2-4 hour trip is the norm. You really can't bet this.
Well, that's it for now, besides the Cubs are on. Till next time, Be Safe. K-townking

FIRST SHIP CALLS

The first ship of the season arrived yesterday morning and brought about 1,400 passengers to visit K-town and they were welcomed with a fairly nice day. The sun was out and the temperature was in the low 50's. There was a good breeze, so it felt more like 40, but for this time of year we'll take it over rain and blowing.

Now, that the season is going and your planning your trip to K-town, let me answer the question that I hear most often when people approach me looking for things to do while in K-town. That would be "What is there to see and do in Ketchikan ?" Now, no matter how many times I hear this, it just baffles me. There is soooooooo.. much to see and do, that I have a hard time deciding where to start. Depending on how much time you have, it differs from ship to ship,but most port calls in K-town are between 6 and 8 hrs, and what your budget is, the possibilities are endless. First, you must decide if you would like to take a tour of the area, or if you just want to see it on your own. Do you want to try and see wildlife, visit the Totem parks, go flightseeing, and on and on. The very best place to start is by visiting the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau. In there are several different tour operators, from sightseeing tours,flightseeing, kayaking, to fishing charters to the horse drawn trolley. You can rent a car and see K-town on your own also, the real adventurous can take a tour on a Harley-Davidson.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, you can spend your time doing and seeing all that Ketchikan has to offer, or you can do a little and spend your time meeting the locals at one of the the few watering holes in the downtown area. I always suggest the Sourdough Bar, not because of the fine company there(Larry and the crew will treat you well and their fun), but because of the collection of ship wreck photos that Larry has accumulated over the years. It's said that it is the largest on the west coast.
Now here is my list of things that I recommend that you should do when in K-town:
1. Take a tour, whether it's by bus, van, or taxi, DO IT!! Most of the tours are about 1 1/2 - 2 hours long by bus or van or by taxi. Taxi tours are recommended for quick and informative town tours, half hour covers most of the highlights and then you can decide what to spend the remainder of you time doing. Most of the drivers live here year round and most are very informative and knowledgeable of the K-town area.

2. Ketchikan Historical Museum, always something interesting about K-town

3. Totem Heritage Center, 31 pieces of Totem Poles and original Totems from surrounding areas.

4. The Discovery Center. Ran by the US Forest Service details the Tongass National Forest,
which happens to be the largest National Forest in the U.S.

5. Visit the many Native galleries. This is very inspiring and will give insight to the 3 Native
Tribes that have been at home in K-town for centuries.

6. GO and DO SOMETHING FUN!!!

Well, that's enough for now, it's nice and warm, so I'm going to go for a putt. See Ya in the Wind;K-townking

The Ships Are A Coming

Things in K-town should be getting busy this week. The first boat of the season is due to visit on Wednesday, 4-22. Things have been hopping in the down town area all last week, from the city cleaning and painting, to the stores and shops sprucing up the interiors and exteriors, bringing in the new stock for the season. The tour companies have been recruiting driver/guides and on Sunday the horses for the Seahorse Trolleys arrived on the Alaska Marine Highway. The influx of new people to K-town is on the raise. Most are returning to jobs they've had in years past and a lot are looking for that summer job in a place they just enjoy being, Southeast Alaska.
I started this Blog to give the people who are planning their trip some idea of the many different, fun and interesting things that they can do. Whether their into hiking, kayaking, fishing,flightseeing in the Misty Fjords, taking a tour of the different Totem Parks. There are a number shops that specialise in all types of art work by many of the local artist that call K-town home.There is so much to see in and around Ketchikan that it would take way more time then you have. So, my advice, to those of you who will be visiting Ketchikan, is to research the surrounding area and decide what it is you are going to have the time to do on your visit. Then, when you arrive you'll have a much better time and see what SE. Alaska has to offer you and your family.
In the next few days I will be going into a little more detail of some of the places to see and things to do on your stop in Ketchikan. Till tomorrow; K-townking

Warming Sun Today

You can really tell the weather is warming up. All you need to do is take a look at the surrounding mountains. What where once snow covered islands, from mountain tops to almost ocean shoreline, are now, in just a few short days, showing signs of the brown muskeg and the greens of the trees in the Tongass National Forest. With the warming of the weather we, those of us who live in what I call"The Country", are preparing for the arrival of the bears in the area. The city folks are also. Black Bears are seen quite often in the area of K-Town known as Bear Valley. Later in the week it is the start of the Spring bear hunting season. Most of the hunters that I have met in the past come for the full coats of fur that the bears have when they come out of hibernation. If the hunter is not going to take the meat for consumption, it must be donated. In the past years I've seen some really beautiful pelts and even a record Boone and Crockett full pelt. I couldn't believe how huge the head of that animal was. There is some hunting around the K-town area, but not much, most of the hunting is done over on the big Island, Prince of Wales Island. It's the largest island in SE Alaska.
I was over by the Ketchikan Creek yesterday and checking the creek for steelhead and I saw a fellow in his waders. He was using a spinner rod and told me the he had seen 2 steelhead, but had yet to land one. So, the next day I decide to play hooky, I think I'll brake out the fly rod and see if they'll take a fly or two. Well, I've made myself hunger with all this talk of bear meat and steelhead, so I'm off to have dinner. Sure wish I had some bear burger. MMmmmmmm.
Enjoy- K-townking

Happy Easter

This is just to wish you all a very safe and HAPPY EASTER!!!!! Hope that bunny was good to all of you and didn't make searching for the eggs to tough on ya!!!

The K-townking

Gearing Up

Things are getting busy around K-town. The streets are being cleaned, the docks are getting fresh paint, the shops are receiving their merchandise to start the summer with. It seems we are all gearing up for the season one way or another.
People are making room in their freezers for this years fresh catches. The long liners had their first opening of their season. It's still slow going, but with the price they will be getting, if they catch just a couple good size fish each time out they'll make some money. I can't wait to get some fresh fish. A nice King salmon would make a great bar-b-cue right about now. Everything is so much better fresh, da. I'm really looking forward to some fresh black cod, it's so good smoked, if you could only keep it lit. HA HA!!
I noticed that the skunk cabbage has sprouted and is letting the world know that it's back. If you've never seen it check the pictures. When it's at it's peak the leafs can be as long as 4' x 2'. The Natives used it to wrap their fish in and bake it in the coals of their fires. The process gives the fish a peppery taste, that is quite good exactly.
It's late and I have had a full day for a day off, so till next time,Be Good or Be Good at it!
K-townking

Please, Winter, Go Away

The first half of the week was just fine. It warmed up a little on Monday,but cooled back off on Tuesday and you could really feel it, I knew it felt like snow, but didn't want to admit to it. Then over night it got cold enough and by 8 AM there was about 2" of very wet snow covering K-town. It must have warmed a little because the snow never accumulated and it snowed all day. That evening it stopped and then the rain and wind showed up for most of today. Making it a very miserable mess outside.I watched 2 chickadees huddled together in the brush and was glad to be inside. I went to let my dog in and he wouldn't even come out of the doghouse, he looked at me as if to say "You've got to be out of your mind", so needless to say he stayed out. The only good thing about all the wind and rain today, is that by morning, the majority of the snow will be GONE!!!! I know I've said this before, but I am ready for Spring and I hope it's soon. I know after living here as long as I have, that we could see snow clear into May, let's hope not!!